They Came in the Night
by IronRaven
Summary: Inuyasha dreams of lost innocence. Revised and re-evaluated. Re-read and re-review, please.


They came in the night

This piece makes reference to one of my other fics, Winter's Chill. (It is set the spring after.) Other than that, I believe it is totally stand alone.

This was revised on 3-20-03, now that I know what the proper word for "Daddy" is in Japanese. 

---

The moon was high over the lands of feudal Japan, shining in her fullness on a dry well, and it's protectors. At the well's side, a young kitsune slept in a massive quilt made of strange fabrics. In the branches of the great tree above the well, a young man with a mane of white hair and strange ears twitched and mumbled, dreaming of the past…

-----

The night air was bathed in blood and fear. The house, the great house was ablaze. 

Young Inuyasha knelt in the garden, holding his sobbing mother tight, trying not to cry as he looked into the flames. "Why, Hahahue, why did they come?"

In the boy's ear, a tiny voice answered his question. "Because, young Master, they disagreed with Lord Inutaisho, on the matter of humans. Only their fear of him allowed him to surrender himself so that your Okaa-san and you could survive."

Raising her head, the grieving woman stared at the flea. "Myouga, what do you know of this attack? No one has troubled us for years."

"The youkai lords have never approved of you husband's interests in humans, My Lady. There have always been those who schemed against him because he was the Great Lord of the West Lands, but many of those have also hated him for his treatment of humans. With the changes of power in the Royal Court, they… They were able to convince the Court that your husband was dangerous.

"What will they do with him? What is going to happen to Chichihue?!" The Court. Inuyasha had been told of it, trained in it's ways by the flea, despite his rebellion against the fine clothes and stiff manners. It was made of kami, powerful demons, and men, who's very word could mean life or death to hundreds. And it terrified him.

"They want to humiliate him, Inuyasha-sama. They want to see him suffer before the whole of the Court for. Then they will scatter his bones, so he will know no peace. That was the bargain he made with them, so that you could live. Your name will be removed from the court's records, you will no longer be the son of a Lord, just a common hanyou."

Not fully understanding all the flea's words, Inuyasha began to struggle in his mother's grasp. What he did understand was that his father would die, tears of anger and fear streaming down his face as he gasped for breath. "We have to do something. I'm already stronger, faster than any man. I have to go to him!"

Holding her son tighter, the human mate of the Great Lord began to rock the boy, trying to sooth him. As she did, Myouga spoke to the boy. "No Master, they are too strong. They could destroy you with a single thought. Don't throw away your father's gift to you like that. You will do him no honor tonight. You are not yet strong enough."

"Myouga-jiijii is right, Inuysha. You are too weak to do anything, you stupid half breed," called the ice cold voice at the edge of the shadows. Sesshomaru stepped more fully into the light, surveying the scene, his hands flexing angrily. "Where is the sword, flea? The sword that Otou-sama had told me of, the one with power over death. They are many, I will need it if I am to avenge our Lord."

"Sesshomaru, have some respect for your brother!"

"Why should I, woman? This is your fault, you tarnished the honor of my Lord's house with this miserable hanyou. If you had not seduced him, this night would not have happened!"

"Lord Se…" began the tiny demon, only to be cut off by the smaller of the two brothers' screams.

"You take that back, Sessho! You take that back right now," cried out Inuyasha as he hurled himself at his half-brother. Without changing expression, the haughty demon grabbed the boy by the front of his vest, lifting him effortlessly from the ground to stare into his eyes. 

"Stay here, half breed, before you get yourself hurt. Stay here with the rest of the weaklings." Whimpering in fear, struggling to get loose, the younger boy could only take the stare of his brother. With a sneer, Sesshomaru threw the boy at the human woman. "Come with me, Myouga. Take me to the Tensaiga."

----

"NO!! TOCHAN!!!"

Inuyasha's scream echoed through the trees, disturbing the birds roosting in them, and the kitsune staring into the branches of the Go-Shimboku, eyes wide as he watched. Chest heaving in terror, soaked in sweat, the hanyou looked at himself. _I'm me again. I'm my normal self, not a little child. _His hand went to his side, pulling the Tessaiga from his belt, hugging the weapon to him as the tears flowed. The tears he had carried since that night, over half a century ago. 

Shaking with the force of his pain, the hanyou ground his face against the grip of the Tessaiga, clutching the only remaining evidence of his father to him. His tears soaked the tsuka-ito, which had been woven by his mother's hand of his father's hair. This he did not know, but when he held the powerful weapon, he could feel his parent's close to him, watching him. 

"It is ok to cry, niichan. It's ok, he's still with you. He will never leave you." Shippou's voice was quiet, soft, soothing in the dog boy's ears, as the kitsune tried to comfort his adopted older brother. Clinging to the braches of the first tree of the forest, his hand stroked Inuyasha's hair, like his own father did when he had bad dreams. "Every time you look in a pool, he will look back at you. Every time you protect us, his hand guides you. He gave you the best of himself."

"But I couldn't…." Sobbing harshly, Inuyasha could barely breath, much less speak. _I can't cry. I need to be strong. Sesshomaru was right, I am a weakling. I can't cry. Stop crying, Inuya-_

"No, you couldn't. You were too little. Just like I couldn't avenge my father without you and Kagome. You protect us, all of us. Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Kaede, every villager we meet. You are doing as he would have." Watching his friend, his protector, Shippou could nearly hear his thoughts. "You aren't weak, Inuyasha, no matter what anyone says. You carry us all, every day. You hold us up when we start to fall. Six of us can hold you up as well as you can hold six."

"But…"

Muttering a curse that could have blistered paint at three paces, and would have earned him a lecture on language if Kagome was there, Shippou cut him off. "But nothing. The greatest strength is knowing you are not always strong. You told me that, the night of the blizzard, while my body healed." Scratching the dog demon's ear. "Sleep. I'll watch the well for the rest of the night. I won't go anywhere, I'll be right here, at your side…"

---

The sun was three fingers over the horizon when Inuyasha woke to the sound of a smack and a cry of "Hentai". Looking down, he watched Sango stomping into the clearing. Following behind, rubbing his cheek, Miroku looked up to the branches. "No sign of Kagome yet?"

Shippou hopped down, scampering up the rest of his pack, his family. "Nope. But Kagome should be here soon, she said she would."

Peering down at the boy, Sango's voice was heavy with concern. "I thought I heard a scream in this direction last night, but nothing after that one. What happened?"

"Oh, that. I had a bad dream, that all," bowing his head, bashfully shuffling his feet, the kitsune hid his eyes as he spoke. "A dream about my father, and what would have happened if I hadn't found Inuyasha."

"Feh. Just a silly dream from a silly child." The hanyou's verbal scowl surprised even Sango and Miroku, who both looked at him, still sitting on his branch. Shippou turned away, crossing his arms on the edge of the well, resting his chin on them as he looked into it's depths, as absorbed the dog boy's statement.

The monk chose to speak first. "Inuyasha, even from you that is mean. Did an owl nest in your hair last night, or have you been taking lessons in manners from Kouga?"

Shippou smiled into the well, waiting for Kagome while the monk and the exterminator took turns tossing barbs at the white haired youth. And only he heard the whisper that was meant for him, "Thank you, Shippou. For last night, and for protecting me now."

---

notes:

**Niichan: **Older brother. See Winter's Chill for why Shippou is calling Inuyasha this. 

  
**Chichihue:** father   
**Tochan:** daddy   
**Hahahue:** mother   
**Tsuka-ito:** The wrapping around the handle of a sword, traditionally done using a layer of ray or shark skin under an intricately wrapped length of silk cord, around hardwood scales. The Tessaiga has a grayish wrapping, like it was once white and has been used hard, while the tsuba (guard) has white fur. It is only my supposition that these are actually Inuyasha's father's hair, but since the blade is made of his fang I don't think it is too much of a leap. And, it would smell like Inutaisho-sama, even if Inuyasha's memories have faded to the point where he does not consciously know the scent any more, or assumes it is his own. I could point out that a dog's claw is hollow, and if the Tessaiga and Tensaiga are the Old-dog's teeth, then they could be sheathed in his claws, but that would be too sappy even for me. 

And I don't think Inuyasha was out of character- if it had been a new moon, no questions would be asked about his emotionality. 

Maybe someday I will do a Sesshomaru and Myouga story about the recovery of Inutaisho's bones, and how Sesshomaru got his horo. (The thing everyone calls his tail- it isn't a tail in his human form, it's a cape!) 


End file.
